Preliminary data shows young hunters ages 6 through 15 harvested 17,222 deer during Missouri’s early youth portion of the 2017 deer hunting season, Oct. 28-29.
Top counties for the early youth portion were Osage with 380, Howell with 377, and Franklin with 354 deer checked. Last year’s harvest total for the early youth portion was 11,171.
“The increase in harvest during the early youth portion compared to last year is likely due to the excellent weather over the weekend, which was favorable for deer movement,” according to deer biologist Barb Keller. “Weather during early youth season last year was particularly poor, with highs in the 80s throughout much of the state.”
For the latest deer harvest totals by county and portion, visit here.
Archery deer hunting continues through Nov. 10 and again from Nov. 22 through Jan. 15. Up next for deer hunting in Missouri is the November portion of firearms deer season Nov. 11-21, followed by the late youth portion of firearms deer season Nov. 24-26. The antlerless portion of firearms deer season runs Dec. 1-3, and the alternative methods season runs Dec. 23- Jan. 2.
For information on deer hunting regulations in Missouri visit here.